“I’ll figure out a way to make that happen,” Jason chuckled, not at the absurdity of sending sunshine to someone but because he’d already purchased Sonya and her husband Mark a trip to St. John for a Christmas present and worked behind her back with HR to get someone to fill in for the two weeks she’d be gone in January. Her husband knew, but she didn't.
“You see that you do. Now, go. I’m going to close up shop and go home. I want to curl up in front of the fireplace with my husband.” Sonya waved him away and sat down. She glanced up at him. “Why are you still here? The sooner you leave, the sooner I can leave.”
“Computer?” He chuckled at her pole-axed expression.
The door opened and Hilde, the runner from IT, hustled in. “I’m not late, am I?” She glanced at her watch and then to the clock on the wall.
“No, I’m in a rush to start my vacation.” Jason extended his hand and Hilde handed over his computer. He slid it into his briefcase and smiled at both ladies. “I’ll see you in two weeks.” Knowing he wasn’t coming back in those double doors for two glorious weeks settled a sense of freedom around him. He hadn’t taken two full weeks off in… well, not in a long, long time.
Faith held Royce as he slept. She should put him down, but… His long, dark lashes rested on his chubby cheeks. The little boy was a duplicate of his daddy, down to the curly hair and arched eyebrows. Royce was just over a year old. She closed her eyes and rocked with her precious baby in her arms. Her life was nothing like she’d imagined it would be. Jason had given her the world. More than anyone could ask for, and he loved Reece as much as he loved Royce.
She gazed down at the little one in her arms. Being a mother and wife filled her life with happiness. She had her friends she’d made on the PTA and all the moms on the teams that Reece played on.
Her eyes traveled around the nursery. A big difference from her small trailer in Savannah, Georgia. She didn’t miss that old trailer, even though she was proud of what she’d accomplished and how she’d been able to take care of Reece. No, she missed nothing of her past life, except Helena and Cal. They were still in Savannah. Faith called Helena—or she called Faith—at least once a week. They had promoted Cal to Sergeant, so his hours were better. He’d decided against joining Guardian because he preferred to work at the community level. God, all the worry, the scrimping and saving, getting Reece to school or to daycare, and stressing about how to pay for college was in the past. She lifted her eyes and said a prayer of thanks again. Her life was blessed beyond measure and beyond her wildest dreams.
She heard the front door alarm chirp and the door open. Jason’s low voice as Tippy and Tommy greeted him at the door put a smile on her face. Tommy was the golden retriever that Grandpa Marshall had given the boys last Christmas. He was a wonderful dog with a calm demeanor but was very protective of both boys.
“Is he asleep?” Jason asked in a hushed voice as he entered the nursery.
“Just now.” She handed the toddler to her husband and watched as he lifted Royce and kissed his forehead. He drifted across the room, cuddling his boy as he moved. He carefully laid the little boy down and pulled his blanket over him, kissing his head one more time before he straightened.
He made his way back across the room, and after ushering the dogs out of the way, he helped her up out of the rocker and pulled her into his arms. “Hello, Mrs. King. How are you feeling?” He leaned down and kissed her, pulling her into that massive, tight body. She relaxed in his arms and enjoyed the rare moment of peace.
When he lifted away, she smiled up at him. “Hello, Mr. King. I’m fine. I see you got off work at a decent hour.” She tipped her head toward the door. “Shall we move this conversation so the little man doesn’t wake up?”
He smiled and glanced over at his sleeping son again. “Speaking of my little men, where is Reece?” He released her from his hold but linked their hands as they left the nursery.
“He’s with Frank and Amanda. The boys are having a sleepover at Jacob and Tori’s. Jacob will pick them up from Amanda after he takes all the dogs to doggy daycare. He and Jared are taking the animals to the facility. They should be here to pick up Tippy and Tommy at six.”
“I’m glad they found someone to take care of all of them.”
“Right? The boys wanted to bring them, but Jacob promised he’d find a nice place. They have video cameras that we can tap into that show the boys their puppies are having fun.”
“I never would have believed it. We are one of those couples, Faith. We take our dogs to doggy daycare.” He rolled his eyes.
“We do, but only when we are out of town. The boys are happy and distracted. Amanda was going to find out what they wanted to do on Aruba after their school day is over.”
“Hopefully, they won’t plan a coup and take over the island.” Jason led them into the bedroom and stripped off his tie with his free hand.
“That was not on the list of options she was going to give them, although it may come in a close second to snorkeling. Grandpa Frank has purchased snorkel gear for everyone.”
Jason chuckled. “Of course, he has. That man pretends he’s a cantankerous old fart, but he’s a marshmallow when it comes to his grandchildren.”
“He is.” She sat down on the bed and watched as he stripped out of the suit he wore. He reached for a t-shirt and she cleared her throat. “Reece is out of the house. Royce is asleep.”
Jason looked over his shoulder and blinked at her. “I didn’t want to assume. You’ve been so tired lately. What did the doctor say? Your appointment was this morning, right?”
He turned, his erection thick and hard. She smiled at him and patted the bed beside her. “Yes. It turns out there is a reason I’ve been so tired.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. Such a logical reason.
He was beside her in a second, on his knees by the bed. “What? Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay, babe.” He reached a shaking hand for hers.
“I’m fine.” She smiled at him. “We need to make a list of R names again.”
One second she was sitting up in the bed, the next she was on her back with six feet, seven inches of chiseled, god-like muscles hovering over her. “We’re pregnant?”
“We are.”
He cupped her face and kissed her a hundred times, all the while laughing with her. She slid her legs open and cradled him between them.
“Wait? How did this happen?”
Faith laughed at his astonished face and joked, “Well, the usual way, I think.”
“You know what I mean.”
She shrugged under him. “Evidently, you have fertile swimmers. Remember when we went to Savannah for Halloween so Reece could trick-or-treat around the old neighborhood? I forgot my pills. I told you that, right?” His eyes narrowed, and he nodded. “Well, I doubled up on them when we got home. I’ve done it before, and we’ve never gotten pregnant. We hit the jackpot this time. The doctor gave me some prenatal vitamins, I was a bit anemic. That’s why I’m so tired.”
“We’ll get you help with Reece and Royce.”
“I don’t need or want help.”